Effect of formaldehyde at a low concentration on proliferation and organization of cytoskeleton of cultured cells

Abstract

Formaldehyde at a concentration of up to 3–4% (1.07–1.42 M) is one of the most widespread and well-known fixatives of organs, tissues, and cells. In the present work, it was shown that formaldehyde at a concentration of up to 60 μM (0.0002%) did not produce negative effect on the viability of cells of lines of A431, HEK293, and primary fibroblasts, but increased the proliferative activity of the A431 cells. This action on the A431 cells can be explained by the activation of a receptor of the epidermal growth factor as a result of its interaction with formaldehyde.